Patient Safety for Nursing Homes

July 18, 2013

In the 1970s, after investigators reported more than 70 percent of air crashes involved human error, The Hartford Courant reported that the aviation community, working with psychologists to develop train to improve teamwork, decision-making and safety in the cockpit.

The Courant said core training has been adapted for use in other professions, including the military, firefighting and healthcare.

Healthcare professionals in Connecticut have taken those basic lessons and drafted a training protocol for another high-risk setting: Nursing homes. The program, called TeamSTEPPS for Long-Term Care, say the training can save lives and money. They plan to pilot the program in Connecticut in the fall and promote it nationally.

“This is the first time we have an evidence-based team training for long-term care,” Ann Spenard, vice president of operations for Qualidigm, Connecticut’s Medicare quality improvement initiative, which developed the nursing home protocol, told The Courant and Connecticut Health-I team.